Cuenca’s first international flights will be to Peru; Monkeypox alert issued; Work begins on railroad park; Addicts and beggars haunt city’s river parks

Lunes, 19/8/2024

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Proyección de documental de géneros musicales urbanos (Screening of a documentary on urban music genres) – For fans of musical genres such as hip hop, electronic music and metal, there will be a screening of the documental “Culturas Urbanas” mañana (martes) a las 19:00 in the Sala Alfonso Carrasco in the Casa de la Cultura (Luis Cordero 7-22). Free <the gringo magic word>

Titular –

Work is underway to make Cuenca’s Mariscal La Mar airport international. According to the airport administration, the first cross-border flights would be to destinations in Peru.

Viruela del mono alerta al país (Monkeypox alerts the country) – The Comité de Operaciones de Emergencia (COE – remember that abbreviation from the pandemic?) of the canton of Guayaquil has responded to the alert about monkeypox. It held a roundtable with personnel from the MInisterio de Salud Público (MSP), the Fuerzas Armadas and Policía National, and the Municipal Health and Hygiene Department. They are planning preventive measures and how to improve controls. One is to train more personnel who work at points of entry by air, water and land. Also included will be promoting use of masks, disposable gloves and frequent hand washing. The MSP is accelerating the purchase of vaccines.

Magali Pérez, from the Guayaquil Hospital, said that a massive media campaign is needed to identify possible cases of monkeypox. Symptoms that should be identified in a timely manner are eruptions on the skin; itching on the face, palms, and soles of the feet; and fever, swelling, head and muscle aches. What worried the roundtable are the alarming statistics coming from Perú and Colombia. So far this year, there have been 109 cases in Colombia and 80 in Perú. The Government will coordinate with the Fuerzas Armadas and Policía National to identify migrants with symptoms and create epidemiological enclosures to avoid contagions.

Medical associations in Quito and Guayaquil are recommending that health authorities stock sufficient quantities of vaccines ahead of worldwide scarcity due to the propagation of the disease. The vaccination plan will focus on vulnerable groups including the aged and babies. There is also a plan for massive diffusion in all levels of educational facilities. Protocols need to be established for when the first cases are identified.

Cuenca –

De El Mercurio del sábado, 17/8 (2 articles):
Aeropuerto, a remodelación (Airport to be remodeled) – José Luis Aguilar, executive director of the Corporación Aeroportuaria de Cuenca (Corpac) announced that the remodeling to make the Mariscal La Mar airport international will start on lunes. Part of the work will be building offices for immigration, antinarcotics, and customs as well as a grada eléctrica (escalator?). There will also be a space for the National Police dogs who will inspect baggage and other cargo. The work should be finished by the last week of octubre at the latest since the Independence of Cuenca holidays will be el 3/11, and the Summit of Iberoamerican Presidents and Heads of States will be in Cuenca from el 13 al 15/11. <Although, as the head of state of a Latin American country, you might be used to major construction projects not finishing on time. Heck, anyone, anywhere in the world is probably used to construction projects running over the “completion” date.> Once the work is done, se espera (to expect, to hope, to wait <take your pick. Is how long you’ve lived here correlated with which translation you’d pick?>) that the Policía National and Aduana del Ecuador (SENAE – Customs) will assign personnel for controls and records.

The first international flights will be to Peruvian airports in Piura, Talara or Chiclayo and Lima. In addition, passengers leaving from Mariscal La Mar can go through migration in Cuenca, get to Quito or Guayaquil and keep going to their overseas destination. This year the number of passengers going through the airport increased from 39,009 in enero to 50,608 in julio which is the largest number in 10 years. Currently there are 48 flights a month where before there were 37. This shows the interest that airlines have in the Cuenca market.

Starting in octubre, Corpac will be recapping the runway on los sábados since that is the day with the fewest flights. Patricio Nieves, with Tours FAM, said that making Mariscal La Mar an international airport will have benefits for tourism in the region. He said that some airlines such as Copa of Panamá have expressed interest in the Cuenca market.

‘La Churonita’ inicia recorrido por Loja ‘La Churonita’ begins its tour in Loja) – The pilgrimage of the Virgen de El Cisne started today (sábado) in Loja and will last 4 days. She left the Santuario a las 7:30 <she must be an early riser especially if you see the dress she’s wearing and consider how long it would have taken to get dressed>, guarded by the police and army. The first day will take her to the San Pedro de la Bendita sector about 14:30. El domingo, she starts for Catamayo a las 7:00 and will arrive at 14:00 where she will stay for 2 days. The last day of the procession is el martes, 20/8 when she will start a las 6:00 to go to Loja where she will arrive in the Catedral a las 19:00 for a celebratory massg and other activities. She will stay in the Catedral until she returns to the Santuario en El Cisne on el 1/11.

De El Mercurio del domingo, 18/8 (2 articles):
El Parque del Ferrocarril: rescate de sitio histórico (The Railroad Park: rescue of a historic site) – Preliminary work started el lunes anterior (last Monday) <although you long-time readers shouldn’t need that translated> on the Parque del Ferrocarril. This will be at the site of the old train station for Cuenca where buildings on the site with patrimonial value will be recuperated along with the rails, now hidden by vegetation. The rails will connect the different parts of the new park, which will have an administrative area and museum, baterías sanitarias (bathrooms), an area where craftspeople can show their work, a zone for biosaludable (bio-healthy – whatever that means) kids’ play structures, and in the highest part, an urban lookout point. The construction cost is estimated at $2.6 million with the park opening planned for junio de 2025.

The neighbors have been notified and from their comments, are happy that the park will be there since security cameras will be installed and the park will have guards. <And I bet 2 months after the park is finished, the guards will have adopted a park dog. And if it’s black, it will be named Negra or Negrita. The Tarqui- Guzho park has 3 dogs – Panda, Mancha and Negra or Negrita the 2nd.>

Terrenos baldíos deben contar con cerramiento (Vacant lots must be fenced off) – The Empresa Municipal de Aseo (EMAC EP – the city garbage company) reminded owners of land without a building inside the urban area of Cuenca are required to build a fence and keep the lot clean to avoid points of infection and insecurity. Those owners who do not comply can be fined in accordance with an ordinance governing the management of the treatment of solid waste in the canton.

Sucesos –

Mendicidad y peligro en el margen del Tomebamba (Begging and danger on the banks of the Tomebamba River) – Along the río Tomebamba, from Puertas del Sol to el parque El Paraíso, there are green areas that are occupied by people suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, and mendicity. This worries neighbors and citizens who use those areas for sports. Along the Paseo Tres de Noviembre, there are spots that have been converted to a refuge for delinquents who have assaulted passersby and who hide in the shrubbery and storm drains. The Guardia Ciudadana de Cuenca (GCC) conducts operations to clear the public spaces, but the addicts return in a few hours to continue drinking and drugging. The GCC is aware of one disabled man who is an alcoholic. Others take advantage of him to hide illegal substances. When entities that provide humanitarian assistance arrive, they are received with sticks and stones. <You mean the cops here don’t just beat up disabled alcoholics and throw them in the squad car?> The motorized squad of the GCC that patrols the riverbanks has confiscated armas blancas (weapons that are not firearms), marijuana, cocaine and homemade pipes. They have also detained people implicated in criminal acts.

Ayuda Humanitaria (Humanitarian Aid) – Vanessa Espinoza, in charge of the Comunidad del Cuidado Proyecto Vida of the Dirección de Desarrollo Social y Productivo (Proyecto Vida Care Community of the Department of Social and Productive Development) of the City of Cuenca said that the institution brings help to people they find in a state of vulnerability along the river banks. Within that population they help people who have been abandoned, are indigent, and begging. They also offer protection to the aged and disabled. Their services include psychological help, family counseling, and more. They try to learn the needs of the people and find them temporary housing, take them to recovery clinics and reunite them with their families. <Except for some, the family might be the reason they’re drinking and living on a riverbank.> She said that 15 days ago they rescued a group of foreigners with children who were living in tents near the Jefferson Pérez coliseum. The city managed their move to the Tulcán canton in Carchi so they could return to their country.

De El Mercurio del domingo, 18/8 (1 article):
Cruz Roja apoya emergencias con motos (Red Cross supports emergencies with motorcycles) – Last 3/7, the Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana (CRE) implemented a new system to respond to emergencies with Asistencia y Apoyo Comunitario vehicles (motorcycles) at sites that are close and where there is heavy traffic. They can respond rapidly and also avoid the mobilization of unnecessary resources. Christian Astudillo, president of the Cruz Roja de Azuay, explained that the motos are driven by paramedics who make a preliminary evaluation of the victims.

The paramedics are equipped with a backpack that contains what they need to attend to the victims. The goal is to reduce response time which is between 3 & 7 minutes. Another objective for the Cruz Rojo is to comply with international standards that apply in 191 cities in the world. They want advanced equipment to stabilize the patient in case the ambulance is delayed. A spokesperson hoped that private or public entities would donate motorcycles so the service can be implemented at strategic points around the city. He noted that the Cruz Roja is a non-profit institution.

To date, moto medics have attended 10 traffic accidents and 35 medical emergencies, helping 25 women and 20 men. 32 patients received pre-hospital attention at the site of the incident and 13 were taken to health facilities for complementary tests. This avoided the mobilization of 32 ambulances which were not needed to take citizens to hospitals. <I’m trying to imagine falling, fracturing a hand, and riding a motorcycle to the hospital. Do they have one size fits all helmets?>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.